Peter Molyneux Interview

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The creator of the upcoming Black & White talks about the future of consoles, and the Xbox.

By IGN Staff

Peter Molyneux is to PC gamers what Miyamoto is to the console flock -- a brilliant mind who consistently tests the limits of what can be done on a specific platform. While Miyamoto has pushed platform gaming into the new directions, Molyneux has had a different obsession, Artificial Intelligence. He started playing around with the concept of AI and the "god game" in titles like Populous, and has continued on that road in games like Theme Park, Syndicate and Dungeon Keeper. Now he's about to release what may be the penultimate game of his career up to this point, the enthralling Black & White. On the verge of the game's release on the PC (and later on the Dreamcast and other undisclosed next generation consoles), he's spoken out that the future of his development lies in the console, not the desktop. New titles from his company, Lionhead, will premiere on consoles first, and appear on the PCs as a port, where they have traditionally premiered. It's a big, big leap, and a welcome move, for such a PC-based designer to move whole-heartedly into the console arena -- especially someone as genre-busting as Molyneux. What are his views on the future of consoles, and more importantly, the Xbox? IGN Xbox had a chat with him and got the scoop and what to expect from the "god game" god.

IGN Xbox: How has console development for Black & White gone so far? I know that a Dreamcast version is currently being worked on, as well as other next-generation consoles, I'm assuming.

Peter Molyneux:Yes, that's right. We are producing versions of Black & White for number of next generation consoles (I'd love to name them but can't at the moment). In the past whenever I've been involved in the design of a conversion to a console the interface has been the biggest headache, but this time as the Black & white interface was inspired by consoles in the first place this has been less of an issue.

IGN Xbox: Should we expect any major changes between the console and PC versions of Black & White?

PM: Yes absolutely. Certainly the game play will be more centered toward player control, also we've an incredible of goodies planned on the next generation formats and some amazing engine technology.

IGN Xbox: What is it about console systems that has grabbed your interest in terms of development? What do they offer that a PC doesn't, in your opinion?

PM: The PC has several drawbacks as a games machine. It is very expensive, regularly needs upgrading, and is very unreliable. Putting this all together you realize that the next generation consoles are at least as powerful as the most expensive PC you can buy today, which means that while certain games will still thrive on the PC the majority of future gaming innovations and revolutions will happen on the next generation consoles, especially when they are connected to the internet.

IGN Xbox: So, does this mean no future PC development, as some in the PC community have feared?

PM: The reason I said that Black & White is my last PC led game is because I feel that the next generation consoles are a compelling format which are much more likely to be mass market - I'm sure LionHead will still produce PC games but not first hand.

IGN Xbox: You've always pushed the limits when it comes to graphics and gameplay on the PC -- are you worried about having to work under the unbendable specs of a console with your future projects?

PM: Yes, it's going to be strange to realize that every byte of memory used is used up for good whereas if you delay the release of a PC game by a couple of months you can raise the minimum spec. Actually it will force us to be more organized. However, one of my main incentives will be to push the next generation consoles to their limits.

IGN Xbox: With the release of the PS2 and the upcoming release of the Xbox, gamers can now have a living room gaming system that rivals (or even beats) the power of their desktop PC. Where do you see the gaming world moving in the next few years because of this?

PM: I see gaming moving firmly into to the mass market where people get home from work and choose whether to watch a movie, listen to music or play game. With this new wave of consoles gaming at last can become a viable entertainment choice.

IGN Xbox: What do you find yourself playing on a personal level? Do you still find yourself playing PC games more often?

PM: Yes I still find myself playing a lot of PC games. but that's also because I never sit at home in front of the TV. I'm playing in the office.

IGN Xbox: What do you think the next step is in terms of how games will be made and distributed?

PM: I think it is an inevitable step for successful developers to stop using publishers effectively as a bank which loans the development costs. This may well lead to an IPO frenzy and will also see new kind of "super developer " emerge similar the big Japanese developers. Publishers will focus on relationships with retailers online.

IGN Xbox: It seems that a lot of companies are slowly moving game production away from PC and towards the more lucrative console market. What are your opinions on the subject?

PM: The industry's been in this position before when the PlayStation came out. You'll see a plethora of titles coming out, but unfortunately only a few can be really successful. This does mean that gamers will have a huge choice, and that PC games will be more focused on the genres not covered by the consoles.

IGN Xbox: What's your personal opinion of the Xbox specs? Do you think that developing for the system will be a much easier process than other consoles?

PM: Certainly the X box specs for me are more familiar as they are based on PC technology and I could see that a console developer would feel the same way about the PS2/ Dolphin specs, so it will be interesting to see what a PC developer will come up with for the PS2, and just as interesting to see what console developers create on the Xbox.

IGN Xbox: Would you consider developing a project exclusively for one platform again?

PM: Yes, I should think that some form of exclusivity is going to have to be on the cards. Whether this will be a long-time or term exclusive will depend on the aggressiveness of the publishers.

IGN Xbox: So we can definitely expect Black & White on the Xbox, right?

PM: Maybe.

IGN Xbox: How will the online counterpart to Black & White work with consoles that don't have a keyboard to interact with? Will console gamers playing Black & White be able to interact with PC gamers online?

PM: It's something we'll strive to do, but obviously the lack of keyboards does limit things. But we are doing some research on Voice transmission in the Gathering [Editor's Note: the online Black & White experience] which might help solve this.

IGN Xbox: Have you had talks with Microsoft about working on a project for the Xbox?